After the Winnipeg Jets hit the ice for the first time since learning who their first-round foe would be, the head coach was quick to point out the Anaheim Ducks were the top team in the Western Conference during the regular season.

“We’re a huge, decided underdog in this series,” said Maurice, whose club captured the second wild card in the Western Conference. “They finished first, best team in the Western Conference. We didn’t. But we have some confidence in our game.

“Even if you finished first, you’d want to come in as the underdog, wouldn’t you?”

The series opens Thursday at Honda Center at 9:30 p.m.

“(The Ducks) are a really good. You don’t finish first in the Western Conference by accident. They’ve got a lot of firepower offensively. It’s a tough match-up. They’re skilled but they’re also pretty big and can play that grinding, heavy game. For us, it suits the way we play and the key for us it to play to our strengths,” said Jets winger Lee Stempniak. “It should be a good series. We’re ready. We’ve got a lot of guys who are anxious. It feels like we’ve been in a playoff mentality for a really long time. We’re ready to get to Anaheim and get started.”

It’s the first playoff appearance for the Jets franchise since the Atlanta Thrashers were swept by the New York Rangers in 2007, but the relative lack of playoff inexperience isn’t a big concern for the head coach.

“We have a group that is not long on playoff experience,” said Maurice. “But they’re going to get all the experience they need in Game 1. They’re going to learn it. It’s a completely different animal, in terms of the level and the intensity and it’s not easily explained. You’ve got to go through it to see it.

“At the same time, it’s just a lot more fun. They’ll bring that nervousness, they’ll get into that first game and then realize how much more fun playoff hockey is and doesn’t resemble anything else. The emotions of it, the excitement of it. The pace of this thing is going to be an eye-opener for them.”

Jets forward Mathieu Perreault, who suffered a lower-body injury in the second period of Thursday’s 1-0 shootout loss to the Colorado Avalanche, didn’t participate in the skate – though Jets head coach Paul Maurice didn’t rule him out of the series opener.

In fact, when pressed about Perreault’s availability for Game 1, Maurice sounded optimistic.

“Substantial,” said Maurice. “He’ll skate sometime this week. See how he gets past the skates. If he feels good, he’ll play. If he feels good, he’s in. If not, we’ll hold him another day.”

Matt Halischuk was skating in Perreault’s normal spot on the third line with Adam Lowry and Lee Stempniak.

On defence, rookie defenceman Ben Chiarot was paired with Dustin Byfuglien, Toby Enstrom was with Tyler Myers, Mark Stuart was with Jacob Trouba, while Jay Harrison and Adam Pardy look like they’ll be the extra pairing, at least for now.

The Jets (43-26-13, 99 points) lost all three meetings to the Ducks (51-24-7, 109 points) this season (0-1-2), though two of them went to extra time.

However, all of those meetings took place before the Jets made deals to bring in Myers and forwards Drew Stafford, Jiri Tlusty and Stempniak.